LAKE COUNTY >> The wine tasting business is anything but a competition.
“We help each other and we support each other,” said Marilyn Holdenried, who owns Wildhurst Vineyards with her husband, Myron. “Especially around Kelseyville.”
The staff of one tasting room will often point their customers along to another one that lies just down the street, a practice that is of invaluable help to the survival of a winery”s tasting room. The friendly atmosphere doesn”t seem to hinder the success of a room situated in a downtown rather than on a vineyard, but rather promotes it.
“It creates a nice ambiance for the people to be able to move from one tasting room to another,” said Holdnereid.
Foot traffic is critical when a winery takes on the additional rent or cost of a downtown space. Two people who learned this equation lately are Phillip and Julia Maxwell, who own Bell Hill Vineyards. They decided to shut down their tasting room located at Library Park in Lakeport due to a lack of traffic after the closing of neighboring restaurant TNT. The Maxwell”s are currently scouting new locations in a more frequented part of town.
Susan Feiler, who owns and operates the Lake County Wine Studio in Upper Lake, agrees that multiple tasting rooms make for excellent business. “If there were a couple more tasting rooms in Upper Lake I would be more happy,” she said, referring to the success of the smattering of tasting rooms in Kelseyville.
“Location, location, location, is the number one rule for any business,” said Holdenreid. “We feel very fortunate to be on main street Kelseyville, which is part of the community.”
The Wildhurst Vineyard tasting room has been sitting in the same location since 1997, just six years after the inception of the winery, making the tasting room one of the oldest in the area. Yet they know how fragile location can be.
“What really hurt all of our tourism businesses was the closing of the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa,” said Holdenreid. “We”re doing fine. It”s just that was sure a hit.”
Feiler verified the need for a stellar location above everything else. “It”s helped me greatly that there”s a hotel and a restaurant across the street from me,” she said. “When there”s more of something, people will come.”
Many wineries choose to operate tasting rooms on or adjacent to their vineyards. This model may not generate additional sales, but with lower overhead the equation may shift in their favor. Martin Pohl, the winemaker and owner of Beaver Creek Vineyards in Middletown, feels that providing people tastes of his wines on site is the best thing for business. This allows customers to see the entire wine making process, assuring them that they”re getting high quality wine. This is something that wineries with separate tasting rooms simply cannot offer.
“People can see the whole process,” Pohl commented. “I think it”s just the best way to present your product.”
Pam Williams, the manager of the Steele Wines” tasting room, located at their winery in Kelseyville, agreed. “You get to see all aspects of the wine tasting procedure,” she said. “It”s an interesting thing for people to see.”
While there may be many upsides to running a stand-alone tasting room, this is one drawback that may deter out of town visitors. “A lot of people from out of town like to go to the wineries,” said Bette Meyers, who helps out at Shed Horn Cellars tasting room on Main Street in Middletown.
Despite being outside of the main parts of town, tasting rooms located at wineries still have the advantage of referring customers to one another. Many wineries are neighbors and visitors don”t need to be on a well-trafficked street to try other tasting rooms in the area.
“We have neighbors too, who are wineries and we help each other out,” said Williams. “We always like to work together with the other wineries and support each other that way.”
One thing is clear: you do whatever works for you. Holdenreid and her husband feel that a tasting room at their vineyards wouldn”t be feasible.
“Our winery is outside of town, and we just wouldn”t get the foot traffic that we get,” she said. “We have better exposure in town.”
Shed Horn Cellars doesn”t have a tasting room on location because their winery sits just behind owner Michael Wood”s home, which makes them uneasy about allowing public access to their facility. The Shed Horn tasting room also relies on regular customers more so than visitors from out of town, and locals don”t mind the location. “Most of our club members are fine with the way it is,” said Meyers. “Most of our regular customers who come in to buy wines are happy to have it close to town and close to the market.”
Whether on a street populated with businesses or in a more secluded area, the wineries seem to agree that a successful tasting room is one that creates excellent vibes, which can go miles for getting customers through the door.
“It depends a lot on how people are treated and welcomed and how good your wine is,” said Meyers.
Williams agreed, commenting that while good wine is obviously an important part of the equation, if tasting rooms don”t present an inviting atmosphere, people are less likely to visit. “The wines speak for themselves and they are obviously what you”re coming for,” she said. “But I think it”s the hospitality and the way people are treated is what”s going to make the experience.”
No matter where tasting rooms are situated, traffic has been increasing over the years as Lake County becomes more prominent in the wine industry. Williams mentioned that while Lake County vineyards have always grown grapes for Napa, the wineries are finally beginning to stand in their own light. Not only does this bring more tourism to the area, but more wineries as well.
“It”s really becoming a new destination as far as a wine region,” Williams said.
